


The New Beginning

by zekelandons



Category: Manifest (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:07:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26020918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zekelandons/pseuds/zekelandons
Summary: After Zeke succumbs to his Death Date, he sees Chloe in the woods where she died and he receives a strange message from her. After being revived, Zeke starts to have nightmares and visions of what life might’ve been like if he didn’t survive and he learns just how important his survival means to the rest of the Flight 828 passengers
Relationships: Zeke Landon/Michaela Stone
Comments: 3
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

The cold air chilled my already cold bones as I walked in the dark, leaving behind the warm comfort of the car. I had the Calling of Cal again and I knew I had something to do with it. And I had to follow it. Each step that I took felt like agony as I stumbled into the icy cold snow. I knew I had to do whatever it took to save my nephew. _Nephew_. I still couldn’t believe that little kid was now family to me. I had to save him because he saved my life exactly one year ago.

When I reached the lake, I saw the meth heads holding Cal with a gun to his head. Then, I saw Ben and Mick, looking at the meth heads with fear and anger. I heard Mick scream my name. But then, there was a roll of thunder and suddenly, there was a loud **_CRACK!_** as a bolt of lightning shot across and hit the lake, causing the ice to crack and Cal and the meth heads to fall into the icy cold watery abyss. It was now or never. I had to save Cal, even if it meant risking my own life to do it.

Ignoring Michaela’s screams, I ran like hell and jumped into the icy cold water and searched for Cal. After swimming around for a good bit, I saw his red coat and I pushed him up towards the surface where Ben grabbed him. As Ben tried to grab me, I felt myself being pulled under by one of the meth heads and I struggled, using the last bit of strength I had to escape from the meth head. But when I reached the surface, I felt a darkness envelop me and there was nothing more.

_I felt leaves, cold and damp against my fingertips. I slowly opened my eyes, trying to see where I was. I was in the woods. Not just any old wood, but the woods where I lost my little sister._ Is this death? _I asked myself as I forced myself up from the ground. I looked around to make sure that I was in the woods. It had to be the woods. But why was I here? I began to walk around, taking in my surroundings when I suddenly heard the familiar tune of the lullaby that my dad sang to me and Chloe when I was younger. The voice…...I knew that voice. I picked up my pace, running through the woods trying to find the source of the lullaby. And that’s when I saw her. She was sitting on a tree stump, looking up at the sky and singing along to the lullaby. She looked exactly like the nine year old girl that I remembered. Her long dark brown hair cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall, her pale hazel eyes shining dimly in the light. “Chloe?” I croaked. She looked at me. Then she gave me that lopsided grin of hers and she beckoned me closer to her. “Hi, big brother!” she said as she held out her hand._

_“You’ve gotten so big!”_

_I chuckled. “Yes,” I said. “I have.”_

_“Your work isn’t done yet, Zeke,” she said, her voice serious. “There is so much you have to do.” I was confused. “What do you mean? I’m dead. I can’t do anything.” Chloe shook her head. “Let me show you.”_

_Getting off the tree stump, she led me to a pool of water and she bent down towards it and touched her finger to the water. Suddenly, the water moved and I could see Ben, Cal and Michaela. Michaela was cradling my body like a baby. I heard Cal sob into Ben’s chest as Ben consoled Mick. My heart broke into a million pieces as I looked into Michaela’s eyes. She looked…...lifeless. Like the life from inside her was sucked out._ She lost a part of herself… _I realized._ She lost me. _“I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!” I heard her whisper. “Mick. It was his time,” Ben murmured. “I couldn’t let go of him.” I looked at Chloe. “Why are you showing me this?” I asked her. “It’s because of what you did in your last moments. You saved the little boy’s life. And you followed the Callings. Which means, you will return to them.” My heart swelled in happiness. “Chloe….” I started. She put out her hand to stop me from talking. “I know how much that woman means to you. She will need you more than ever. Go to her. Go to them. They need you.”_

I gasped as I felt the air come back to my lungs. I felt Mick pull me closer to her and I looked up at her beautiful ocean blue eyes. “Hey!” I said as I looked at Mick, Ben and Cal. “I’m still alive, right?” Michaela laughed with joy. She pulled me closer to her and she started to cry tears of joy. I felt Ben and Cal wrap their arms around me and pull me close. I sighed. I was back. _But why?_

After getting a new change of clothes and some warm blankets later, we drove back to New York where we were greeted by Grace and Olive. Their looks on their faces were ones of pure shock, disbelief and joy. After having a quick bite to eat, Mick told me to lie down for a bit and rest. She told me that I needed to rest after the massive ordeal that I went through. I saw her slip into the garage to go talk to Ben.

Michaela Beth Stone changed my life but she also saved it. When I met her, I was a wreck. The pain of Chloe’s death haunted me for years on end and I didn’t think no one else could understand that type of loss until I met Michaela. Little did I realize, she went through something similar. The more we got to know each other, the more I realized that there was something about her that was drawing me closer to her. But, I didn’t think I was worthy of her love, after all the mistakes that I had made. But, she believed in me when everyone had pretty much given up on me. She cared for me when no one else bothered to care for me. And she loved me like no one else had before. I meant every word in my wedding vows to her. My wife was everything to me and losing her would be tragic. I shivered at the thought of being separated from her. _You survived for a reason, Zeke,_ I told myself. _Chloe said Mick needs me more than ever now._ With that, I felt my eyelids droop and I let sleep take over me.


	2. Chapter 2

_I found myself in an empty plain. There were no trees, just a couple rock formations and a whole bunch of grass. The sky was overcast and a cold breeze blew. That’s when I smelled smoke and burning metal. I looked and I saw smoke in the distance. I ran towards it, trying to see what it was._

_When I got to the source of the smoke, I felt my heart drop to my stomach when I realized I was looking at the wreckage of Flight 828. The fire was now gone, but the smoke remained. Covering my mouth with my shirt, I went inside the wreckage and that’s when I saw all the passengers, in their seats limp and lifeless. Towards the middle, that’s when I saw them. Ben, Cal and Michaela. “No...no….NO!!” I screamed. “No! You can’t be dead no no no!” I ran towards them and I touched Michaela’s fingers; they were icy cold and lifeless. I felt sick. “God...no not Mick. Not Cal or Ben or any of these passengers. No, no…” I felt tears run down my face as I buried my head into my hands and sobbed._

_I felt a gentle hand touch my shoulder and I turned around and saw Chloe standing there. I realized I was back in the woods. “Chloe, what was that?” I asked, my voice breaking. “Is...is that how they’re going to die?” She shrugged. “It’s quite possible,” she said as she pushed her hair back behind the shoulders. “These are glimpses of things that would’ve happened if you had actually died.” I felt something cold run through my bones. “Ben and the others…..” I could barely finish my thought._ They would’ve lost hope, _I thought._ Ben probably would’ve searched to the ends of the Earth to find the reason for the Callings and the Death Date. But….. _I couldn’t imagine to think about Michaela. Ever since I had told her about the frostbite, she was determined to find a cure to save me. I knew that I meant everything to her. What the two of us had was something else. What we had was true, authentic love. Solidified through faith, trust and strength._

_I couldn’t imagine what would happen to her if I actually died. Chloe sensed my thoughts. “You’re thinking about her, aren’t you?” she asked. I gave her a nod. “Yeah,” I said as I kicked some leaves on the ground. “I watched her suffer as she watched me slowly die. If I died….I don’t think she would handle it very well.” Chloe nodded. “You are her strength, Zeke. With you, she is stronger. But….without you, I fear she might not be strong enough to go on.” “She has Ben, Grace, Olive, Cal, her dad, Jared..they can help her...” I started, but I trailed off. I felt my heart sink deeper into my stomach._

_Just then, I saw the forest change and I saw Ben and Michaela in the garage. They were arguing. “The Callings took everything away from me!” Mick snapped at Ben. Her blue eyes were filled with anger. “How can I keep listening to them after they took my husband from me?” “The only way to survive is to accept the Callings, Mick!” Ben yelled. “And if you had done so, Cal wouldn’t have kidnapped! But, instead, you didn’t. And while I’m thankful that you brought him home, you should’ve put your own worries aside and follow the Callings!” “How could I listen to a voice that is telling me to let my husband die? I refuse to listen to a voice like that. So what? The Callings may have done good at one point but I’m determined now, that they want to ruin my life.” With that, Mick left Ben and left the room, slamming the door behind her. “Mick!” I screamed, knowing that she couldn’t hear me. “Please! You can’t give up like this! What about the other passengers? Don’t you want to help them?” The vision faded. I felt Chloe touch my hand. “They need you. You are their hope.”_

I woke up, gasping for air. Back when I had nightmares about Chloe, I would’ve run to the bathroom and take a few pills to numb the pain. But this time, I felt soft, gentle arms wrap around me. Holding me. I felt a gentle hand caress my face and I found myself looking at a pair of gentle blue eyes. “Zeke?” Mick’s voice was traced with worry and concern. “You ok? You were twitching in your sleep. And talking.” I sighed. “I’m fine,” I started but Mick gave me the look that said that I wasn’t fine. “Ok, I’ve….had visions and dreams of Chloe. And you.” Mick cocked her head to one side.

“Of me?”

“Yeah. And of the passengers. I think...I’m seeing an alternate reality. If I actually died.”

I felt Mick pull me closer. She put her head on my shoulder and she sighed. “I don’t know if I could’ve gone living if you died.” she said, her voice flat. “When you….died, I felt this emptiness inside me. I felt weak and helpless. I’m assuming it would’ve been worse if you had stayed dead.” I nodded. I slipped my hand into hers, noticing how perfect our fingers slipped into each other. We were truly made for each other and there were nights where the two of us would stay up, lying in bed and not saying anything to each other. Our breaths were in sync and our hearts beat in the same rhythm. _Like soulmates,_ I thought. “Zeke,” Mick began. “You survived. And I can’t thank the Callings enough for bringing you back to me, and the rest of the family. You brought hope to us, for the passengers. And I need you. Because I can’t imagine a world without you in it.” Taking her free hand, she placed it on my face and pulled me close and kissed me softly on the lips. I closed my eyes, savoring the moment. When I pulled apart, I made room for her on the couch and she snuggled next to me. She slipped her arms around me as I wrapped the blanket closer around us. Soon her regular, even breathing told me that she was sound asleep. I watched her as she slept, reflecting on how lucky I was to be alive. But, I couldn’t help but think about her words. _“Because I can’t imagine a world without you in it.”_ “I will always be with you, Michaela Beth,” I whispered as I kissed her forehead. “I always will.”


	3. Chapter 3

The early morning light woke me up from my deep sleep. Next to me, Mick was sound asleep, her arms wrapped around me. She was peaceful when she slept, still and perfect. And she loved her sleep. I on the other hand was accustomed to waking up early and I gently moved Mick’s arms from my body and got off the couch and made my way to the window and I sighed. It felt so surreal. I survived the Death Date. I couldn’t believe it. I beat the Death Date but how and why? I just couldn’t grasp it.

I was so deep in thought that I almost didn’t feel Michaela’s arms wrap around my waist and I felt her head snuggle up against my shoulder. I turned and faced her and she gave me a small smile. “Hi,” she whispered as she leaned forward and kissed my cheek. “You ok?” I nodded. “Yeah I’m fine. Just thinking about how lucky I am to be alive.” I felt Mick pull me closer to her. “Yeah I know,” she whispered. “I’m beyond happy that you’re alive.” I turned towards her and I took her face in my hands and I closed my eyes and sighed. I opened my eyes just for a moment and I found myself lost in her eyes. “Mick….” I whispered. “Zeke…” she whispered and she moved closer and ever so delicately, she closed the gap between our lips. Her lips were so soft and sweet and I felt her deepen the kiss. I moved my hand to the back of her head and I pulled her closer. Just to be here with her felt perfect. I never wanted this to end. When we pulled apart, she gave me a smile that I knew all too well. “Wanna go back to the apartment?” she asked. “We can start planning that really long honeymoon of ours.” I grinned at her. “Sounds like a plan!”

When we got home, we discussed a lot of things about our future now since I survived the Death Date and we began planning for our honeymoon. We had left a note to Ben and Grace letting them know that we headed back to our apartment and we just needed some alone time. Mick texted Jared asking him not to call her for a few days so she could clear her head. “You know he’s going to call you back,” I told her as we got ready for bed later that night. “Yeah, but my phone is off and so’s yours. No distractions.” she said as she flopped herself down on the bed and snuggled under the covers. “He does worry about you,” I said as I snuggled next to her side. She rolled her eyes. “He worries too much.” I had to chuckle at that. “But, it’ll be nice not to be working for a few months,” she sighed. “Just having the time of our lives.” I closed my eyes, thinking about the sandy beaches I would walk along with Mick by my side, her hand holding mine. I opened them again and I rolled over so I was on top of her. I took my hand and stroked her face. “I can’t wait,” I whispered. “We are going to make so many memories on our trip.” She smiled at me. “I love you,” she whispered. “I love you too.” I kissed her lips and pulled back. “Good night, Mick,” I murmured. “Night, Zeke,” she said sleepily as she closed her eyes. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close, not wanting to ever let her go.

_I found myself back in the woods again. Chloe was there, wearing the same exact outfit that she wore on the day she died. “You’re back again, big brother,” she said as she walked closer to me. “I can’t help it,” I said as I shrugged. “I always end up here in my dreams.” “It’s not a dream, Zeke,” Chloe said, her voice serious. “It’s something else.” I rolled my eyes. “What are you trying to tell me?” “I already told you. You are the hope for the passengers of Flight 828. Your survival gives them hope.” “But, I wasn’t even on the plane. Only a handful of the passengers know that I exist and I went through the same experience as them.” I felt frustrated. “Come on,” Chloe said as she took my hand in hers. “I want to show you something.”_

_We found ourselves back at the pool again. Chloe touched her hand and the scene changed to the Stone’s house. And my heart broke as I watched the scene unfold. Cal was at the dining room table, picking his waffles with his fork. He looked hopeless and defeated, unlike the kid that I knew who had unwavering faith and perseverance. I saw Olive come sit down next to him and she looked equally as glum as Cal. Ben and Grace looked pretty depressed as well. “I wish Uncle Zeke was still alive,” Cal mumbled as he picked at his waffles. “He was so much fun to be with. And he made Auntie Mick so happy.” Olive nodded. “I wish she could feel better,” Olive said sadly as she took a bite of her waffles. “All she wants to do is nothing.”_

_The scene changed. Ben brought down some food to Mick who looked like an absolute wreck. She was lying on the photon. Her hair was in tangles, her eyes were tear stained and puffy. But, she looked so lifeless and dull. “Please, Mick,” Ben pleaded with her as he held out the plate of waffles. “You gotta eat.” She pushed the food away and rolled over and turned to face the wall. “I’m not hungry.” Ben sighed. “Mick, it’s been three months. You’re not doing well, both physically and mentally. We had to pull you out of the NYPD. Your mental state is too fragile right now to be working. Plus, we let go your apartment so you could stay here with us. We will always be here for you Mick. You have us.” Mick’s response was only a grunt. After a while, she spoke. “He didn’t have to die, Ben. He worked so hard to redeem himself all for what? So he could die?” Ben sighed for what seemed like the millionth time. “I don’t know why the Callings did that but Mick, he died knowing that he got a second chance at life.” Mick turned around and grabbed a pillow and chucked it at the wall. “It’s not fair!” she screamed. “Do you have any idea of how much he means to me? He’s my other half! My soulmate! How can I live a life without him?” She proceeded to throw a couple more pillows before breaking down into a sobbing wreck. “He should’ve never died! He should’ve lived!” Ben took the waffles and headed up the stairs. Mick was sobbing and sobbing and I felt this pain consume me. It was agonizing and horrible. I wanted to hold her, telling her that it was okay but I knew I couldn’t. I remembered Chloe’s words. “You are her strength.” “What did you mean by that?” I asked Chloe. “It’s in your name. Your name has a very important significance. So does Michaela’s name.” “Tell me!” I pleaded with Chloe. “You have to tell me!” Chloe shook her head. “That’s for you to find out on your own. You will be surprised to know just how much you two are really connected.” Chloe turned around and walked away into the mist, disappearing into thin air. “My name?” I whispered. “Mick’s name? What does that have to do with anything?”_ Is there more to us than we thought?


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, I woke up early like always. Mick was still sound asleep. I took a shower, got dressed and made a small breakfast of yogurt and coffee and I opened up my laptop and searched up the meaning of my name.

No one really called me Ezekiel except people of authority, like my parents or a judge. Otherwise, everyone called me Zeke. It sounded cool I guess. I typed into Google “Meaning of Ezekiel” and when the result popped up, I was shocked. “God’s strength,” I muttered under my breath as I sipped my coffee. “Chloe said I was Mick’s strength.” I then searched up Michaela’s name and I was even more shocked at the result. “Oh my God,” I whispered. “Michaela is the female variation of Michael and it translates to ‘Who is like God?’ We really are that connected.” “What about our connection?” I turned and I saw Mick standing behind me. She wore a tank top and a pair of athletic shorts. “Oh, it’s about the Callings I’ve been having recently,” I told her. “I finally realized what Chloe means.” Mick walked closer to me and she took my hands in hers.

“What do you mean?”

“Your name means ‘Who is like God’. Mine means ‘God’s strength.’”

“So….you’re saying that you are giving me strength?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I am. Because we are going to get through this together. Like we always do.” I rubbed my thumb over Mick’s wedding ring. I remembered how perfectly the ring slipped onto her finger when I first put her engagement ring on and then the wedding ring at the wedding. Now, since we were married, our relationship was stronger and we knew we could face anything that life could throw at us together. “We really were made for each other,” Mick whispered. “The Callings knew what they were doing when they led me to you.” “You answered my plea. Somehow, you heard it and you listened and you came. And, ever since, my life has never been the same.” Leaning closer, I kissed her lips, savoring the moment. I still remember that moment when we first met. There was a strange force that pulled us towards each other and we both felt it. But we had no idea how connected we truly were in that moment.

Later that day, Mick called Ben to check up with him and she told me that she had to run by over to his house to check up on some things. She told me to keep resting and I obliged. As I lay in bed, wishing that Mick was by my side, holding me, I felt the all too familiar feeling of a Calling about to hit me.

 _I was at the precinct. I didn’t end up in the woods this time. I saw where Jared sat and he looked miserable. He looked at a desk which I remembered that was Mick’s desk at the precinct. It was occupied by another detective. I then heard Jared’s phone ring and he answered it. “Hey Ben,” he said, his voice flat. “What’s up?”_

_“Can you come over?”_

_“Yeah. Why?”_

_“I’ll tell you when you get here.”_

_“Ok. See you then.”_

_Jared hung up the phone and grabbed his things and headed out. I remembered how sad and somber his eyes looked. I could only guess Mick’s condition was getting worse._

_The scene changed to the Stone’s house. Just by telling by the mood of the house, I could tell something was going on. Ben looked defeated. Grace looked tired and her eyes were red and puffy. Olive and Cal were holding each other close. Since this was a Calling and I wasn't really there, I slipped downstairs and I found myself looking at Mick. She stared up at the ceiling, gazing at nothing. Her breaths were slow and her skin looked pale. “She’s dying,” I whispered. There was a faint smile on her lips and that's when I saw a flash of images cross my mind. Of us._

_The first scene was the one in the cave, where I confessed that I was responsible for Chloe's death. And Mick told me her secret about Evie and how we both felt that same guilt. Next was when we built the cairn to remember Chloe and where I finally found closure from her death, thanks to Mick. Next was the moment when we found the petrograph of the constellation Gemini. I heard her faintly whisper “That’s when I knew we were something more,” I nodded. We were something more. The next scene was me at the precinct, where I was arrested by Jared and how I begged Mick to believe in me and she did. The next scene was the hug when she told me that I wasn’t that guy who beat up people in bars anymore. I was given a second chance and I wanted to take my chance at it. It was in that moment when I realized that I was falling in love with her._

_The next scene was the shooting. I felt so reckless and irresponsible and it should’ve never happened. I hurt the one person that I didn’t want to hurt. When Cal found me two months later, he told me that I had to be with Mick because she didn’t have much time and neither did I. I didn’t deserve to be with someone like her. But, when I found her in the street, I told her what I had to do, and she tried to convince me that the shooting was an accident but I was determined to owe up to my actions. The one thing I admired most about Mick was her unwavering determination. I remembered what I told her after she freed me from jail. “You didn’t just storm the castle, you burned it to the ground.” Both of us felt that familiar tug but we were too scared to act upon our feelings then._

_The next scene was the night we had our first kiss. That night, it felt like our souls had finally come home to each other and as we spent that night together, I swore our souls were singing the same song together in unison. Everything just clicked in place. We were made for one another and we both just knew that night that we finally came home. Our hearts beat as one, our breaths were in sync and in perfect rhythm. Everything about us was the same._

_The scene changed to the night where we confessed our deep love for each other. It was one of the happiest days of my life, knowing that the woman who had bewitched me body and soul loved me back. She loved me with every inch of her being. And I did too._

_More scenes flashed across. The day I told her about the frostbite was hard but we knew as long as we had each other, we could face anything together. The night I proposed to her, I was so worried she would say no, but her answer of “Yes! Yes I will!” made me the happiest man in the world. And when we made our vows to each other at our wedding, I wanted her to know that having her believe in me, care for me and love was the greatest gift in my life. And in her vows, she said she would never give up on me or on us._

_That's when I saw her smile one more time. She whispered softly that I could barely hear her. “I’m coming to you my love.” She closed her eyes and her breathing stopped. I felt the tears fall down my cheeks as I saw Jared come down and he began to cry uncontrollably. “I wish I could’ve been better,” he sobbed. “I’m so sorry!”_

_The next scene was the burial. Grace, Ben, Cal Olive and Eden stood close to each other. My father in law, Steve stood by them. I noticed in the background, there were a couple NYPD officers standing guard. Standing by Michaela’s casket was Pastor Dan, our wedding officiator. He said a couple words. “Michaela lived a good life, surrounded by those who loved her. Her mother Karen’s favorite verse was ‘All things work together for good.’ Michaela took that quote to heart after she returned from Jamaica. Her husband, Zeke was her rock, her strength. She leaned on him and he supported her in life. I’m sure Michaela will be at peace now, with Zeke and Karen by her side.” He moved aside and that’s when I noticed that we shared the same tombstone. One by one, each Stone threw some dirt into the hole where Michaela’s casket was. I noticed that Jared wasn’t at the burial but Drea was there. When she took the shovel, I heard her whisper, “Jared wished he could be here, but he wanted you to know that he hopes that you’re at peace.” After what seemed like an eternity, the hole was filled and Michaela’s casket was no longer visible. After a few words from Ben, the small group of people left._

_Chloe appeared out of the blue. She smiled. “So, you finally realize what I meant,” she said as she pushed a stray piece of hair back, “Yeah. You’re right. It’s in my name. I’m her strength.” “She needs your strength more than ever. There are many unknowns on this journey and she needs you to keep her strong.” I nodded. 2024 was only four years away and we had time to keep figuring out what the Callings wanted from us. “I will keep her strong,” I told Chloe. “I will be her strength always.”_


	5. Chapter 5

I snapped out of the Calling, gasping for air. I couldn’t unsee what I just saw. From what it looked like, Mick had lost the will to live. And my heart just broke. The tears began to fall down my face as I started to sob. I couldn’t imagine a world without Mick in my life and she couldn’t imagine one without me. We needed each other. We were each other’s reason to be strong.

After wiping my tears away, I decided to go to Chloe’s grave to thank her and to talk to her. Leaving a note to Mick on the table telling her where I was, I headed out and took a bus and went to a floral shop and bought some white roses and headed to the cemetery. I hadn’t been here in awhile and I was always afraid of going here because of the pain I felt about being responsible for Chloe’s death.

I found her grave and I gazed at her inscription:

**Chloe Landon**

**1997-2006**

**Beloved daughter and sister**

I placed the white roses on the top of her grave and I sat on the grass and I took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to say to her. Then it came to me.

“Chlo. I wish you were still here with me. I messed up a lot after you died. I was on this dark path for years, trying to escape the pain that I caused but I couldn’t. I didn’t think anyone would understand what I did until I met the love of my life. She understands me. She knows me and she gets it. She showed me that I deserved a second chance at life and that I was worthy of love. These past eight months were the best months of my life. I fell in love with the most compassionate, gentle and determined woman I had ever met. You would’ve loved her Chlo. I’m sure Mick would’ve loved you too. I married her only a few days ago and it was the happiest day of my life. I hope you’re doing ok. Thank you for showing me just how much I mean to the Stones, to Mom and Dad and most importantly to Mick. I hope my survival will give the rest of the passengers hope that they can beat their Death Date.

“I vow that I will always be there for Michaela. Keeping her strong, helping her, strengthening her, supporting her and loving her for as I long as I live. She is my soulmate, the great love of my life and I want to be the man that she deserves in her life. Together, she and I can face anything that life throws at us. We’re a team. And I thank God everyday that she is in my life. She saved me. She gave me strength in my darkest hour and I am forever in her debt.”

I sighed as I closed my eyes. I thought of how much my life changed within this past year and it was wonderful. I looked at Chloe’s grave. “Thank you Chloe. I love you.” I felt a hand touch my shoulder and I saw Mick. “Hey, you okay?” she asked. I nodded as I stood up and kissed her. “Yeah I’m okay,” I told her as we pulled apart. “That’s good. You’ve been somewhat off lately.” “I had a Calling. About you dying. Because….” I could barely finish my sentence when I started to sob. Mick pulled me closer and I heard her cry too. “You...you lost the will to live,” I finished and I only sobbed harder. “You mean so much to me, to all of us, Zeke,” Mick whispered into my ear. “A life without you in it isn’t one I don’t want to live in. You are my whole world and I love you. I will always love you, forever and ever.” She pulled me closer and we leaned on each other. “You are my strength,” she murmured. “I’m beyond happy that you survived. We need you here with us.”

“I’m glad I have you too. You are my strength too. I love you more than what words can describe.” 

We pulled back for a moment, and I gazed into her beautiful eyes. It felt like I was staring deep into her soul and moving as one, we closed the gap between our lips, kissing each other with such a passion. Our love is strong, it was tested many times and through it all, our love grew stronger and stronger.

When we pulled apart, I took her hand in mine and we walked towards Mick’s car hand in hand. I felt a breeze go through my hair and I could hear Chloe’s voice whisper within the breeze. _“You are the hope they need.”_

_I really am,_ I thought as I walked with Mick by my side. _This is the new beginning. For all of us._


End file.
